Trailer bumper and guide



'March16,19zs. I 1,576,975

D. K. HU-TCHINSON TRAILER BUMPER AND GUIDE Filed Dec. 26, 1922 Patented Mar. 16,v 1926.

UNITED STATES" PATENT' oF'll-loE. 1

DAVID K. HU'TCHINSON, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR 0F R. C. LIEBMAN, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

TRAILER BUMPER AND GUIDE.

Application filed December 26, 1922. Serial No. 608,918.

To all lwhom t 'may concern:

Be it known that I, DAVID K. I-IUTCHIN- V soN, a citizen of the United States, residing in Los Angeles, county of Los Angeles, State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Trailer Bumpers and Guides, of which the lfollowing is a specification. This invention relates to devices for controlling a vehicle that is being towed by another. Generally speaking, the invention is applicable to all sorts of vehicles, including railway vehicles and road vehicles; but, as its most prevalent use is in connection with trailers adapted to be'towed by automobiles or automobile trucks, I will explain the invention as thus applied.

One of the great objections to trailers, on the road, has been their tendency to swing from side to side, being thus very dangerous to passing vehicles. This tendency to swing from side to side is especially marked when the towing automobile is slowing down or starting upror is traveling in anything but a straight line. If the towing automobile takes a slight turn to one side or the other on the road. the following trailer has a tendency to swing from side to side; or if for instance, the towing automobile stops, the trailer has a tendency to run ahead on it and has a tendency to run to one side or the other.

I am aware that devices have been perfected for guiding the trailers; but my device combines, in a single apparatus, the functions both of a bumper, or shock absorber, between the ktrailer and towing vehicleVand the function of-a guide. The invention itself will be best understood from thev following detailed description of a preferred form'of my device, typical of the invention, reference for this purpose being had to the accompanying drawings in which: y

Fig. 1 is a plan showing my device applied to automobile truck and trailer; l

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional plan showinthe details of construction of my device;

ig. 3 is a further enlarged section taken on line 3-3-of Fig. 2; l p.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged detailed section. on line 1 -4 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged detailed section on line 5-5 of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 6 is an enlarged section on line 6,-6 of Fig. 2.

In the drawings A may 'represent the towing vehicle andV B the trailer. The details of these two vehicles needl not be particulary described. Between the two vehicles a draw bar 10 is arranged, this draw bar usually being pivotally attached ONE-HALF To to the trailer at a point such asillustrated at 11 and having an extension or other arrangement, such `as illustrated at l2, connecting with the link 13 that connects with steering arms 14 of the trailer. v The ,other end of. this draw bar is connected to the towing vehicle A; in this particular case I connect it to a pin 15, the draw* bar having a slot 16 that will allow the drawbar to move forwardly on the pin and with reference to towing vehicle A.

ers 21 are longitudinally slidable.` Each` plunger has a collar 22; and behind'each collar there is a bui'er spring 23.`and at the forward'side of each collar thereis a rebound absorbing springv24. Mounted on Mountedat the two rear corners vof frame i and between the pairs of plungers'21 there v kare two circular racks 25, the teeth 25av of .which mesh with each other as shown in the drawings. The centers ofthese circular racks may preferably besubstantially located at the pivotl points 11 Vand 15, or some- -Where near those pivot points. These racks ypreferably lie -just overV draw bar l 10, so that draw 10 may form 'a support for them; and in order tokeep the racks from being thrown upwardly and out of operative position, the draw bar is provided with aV U-bolt 30, that, for convenience of operation when the trailer, isbeing hooked up or Vunhooked from the truck, is hinged at one side at 3] to drawbar 10 and at the other side is provided with a pin, such as illustrated. at 32, thatmay be quickly withdrawn so that'the U-bolt may be raised to release the two racks and so-that then, when draft pin 15 is removed from-draw bar 10, two vehicles may road, I mount veach rack, at each end, on. the

are merely strong enough to hold up the In order to weight of the racks when the racks are otherwise unsupported; they ,areA 4,not so strong as to interfere withithc up `and down action of the racks when the vehicles are passing over an undulating. road.V

keep the racks constantly and. properly in meshwwith .each other they are provided With flanges `at their upper and lowerV edges. Thus-.each rack has thl'olghOll .One-haltet its length a flange 40: onY its lower side, and throughoutthe other halt its length a Hinge 41 on its upper side. These iianges are soV arranged that theupper flange oi one rack is at thek same end 0f that. rack; as is the lower ange of the other rack ;A and the flanges of the two racks overhang the. racks as is best` illus trated in Figs. 2, 3,- and 5. This interengagement of the anges holds the racks in proper meshing position at all times. This particular arrangement otiianges need not be necessarily followed, other arrangements may be use 5 but this particular arrange.- lrlent has the advantage thatith'c two racks with their flanges are duplicates.

It will be readily seen, without the necessity of ,further detailed description, how the devices I have described absorb shocks between the truck and trailer;y how they absorb any shock on the trailer due-to nick slowing down or stopping ot the truc t. It will also be readily seen how the intermeshing. racks keep the trailer always .in a position directly behind thetruck, regardless of what influences may be brought to bear 011 the trailer. Theffact that the racks are always in mesh, and that they are fixed in transverse relation tothe two vehicles, prevents the two .vehicles :from leavin-,a` any relal tive sdewise motion, It` the truck turnson the road, `the draw bar of course swings to anangular position, the two vvehicles assume an angular position with relationl to each other. But the two racks stay in mesh, andY they .therefore still .prevent the trailer from having any` lateral uncontrolled motion. In fact, the device completely controlsthe trailer and at all times prevents it having any uncontrolled sidewise mo While I. have described with some partcularityof detail a preferred .form ofY my invention, I do not wish it understood that I have done so for the purpose necessarilyl of limiting my invention to the specific details herein set forth, but rather that I have given this particular description for the purpose of enabling those skilled in the art to have a full understandingV of the invention through having a full and complete understanding ot the best embodiment now known of the invention. Accordingly, I do not limit my invention except as specifically so limited in the following claims.

Having described a preferred form oi: my invention, I claim:

l. A trailer guiding device,adapted to bc applied to a towing and trailing vehicle,

connected by a draw bar, said device emit mounted on the trailer and intermeshing' with each other; said racks each having u r per and. lower flanges that overhano' other racks to limit 'relative vertical movement between .the two racks and thus hold. the` racks in vI neshing position, the dmw bar being pivotally connected to both the towing and trailing vehicles substantially at the centers of the gear racks. Y

In combination with a towing and a trailing vehicle, Connect-ed together by a draw bar, a pair oi curved racks, one attached tol'the end of. a towing vehicle and the other attached tothe forward end oi the trailer, said racks intermeshing and lying in proximity to the draw bar, means in connection with the draw bar to limit vertical movement of the racks, andmeans in connection with the two racks to limit rela- ,tive vertical movement between them to keep them in` intermeshing position. l

4, In combination withk a towing anda trailing vehicle, connected together by a draw bar, a pair of curved racks, one attached to vthe endI of a towing vehicle and the other attached to the forward end ot the trailer, 'said racks intermeshing and lying in proximity to theV draw bar, a releasable U-bolt mounted on the draw bar around the two racks to limit vertical movement of the racks with'relation to they draw bar, and lange's'at the upper and lower edges of one rack, overlying the other rack, to' limit relative verticaly movement between the racks and keep them in intermeshng position,

5. A combined trailer bumper and guide, comprising, in combination with ,'a towing and a trailing vehicle connected' together by a draw bar, a shock absorbing mechanism mounted on the towing and on the trailing vehicle to receive and absorb stretches in longitudinal directions, a pair of curved vintermeshing racks, one mounted on the shock absorbing mechanism of each vehicle, said racks being convex to each other; and means to limit vertical movement of the racks and hold them in intermeshing relation.

6. A combined trailer bumper and guide, comprising, in combination with a towing and a trailing vehicle connected together by a draw bar, a shock absorbing mechanism mounted on the towing and on the trailing vehicle to receive and absorb stretches in longitudinal directions, a pair of curved intermeshing racks, one mounted on the shock absorbing mechanism of each vehicle, said racks being convex to each other; means on one of the racks overlying the other to limit relative vertical movement between the two racks, and means in connection with the draw bar to limit vertical movement of the two racks.

7. A combined trailer bumper and guide,

comprising, in combination with a towingl and trailing vehicle connected together by a draw bar, a pair of cylinders mounted longitudinally on each vehicle at opposite sides thereof, plungers in the cylinders, springs in the cylinders surrounding the plungers and acting on the plungers to resist their longitudinal movement, a pair of intermeshing racks, each mounted on the plungers of one of the vehicles, the mountings of the racks on the plungers being through the medium of horizontal transverse pivots so that the racks may move about said horizontal tranverse pivot, the racks being convex to each other and being provided with ianges that overly the racks to limit relative vertical movement between the two racks; and means on the draw bar extending around the racks to limit vertical movement of the two racks. y

8. A combined trailer bumper and guide, comprising, in combination with a towing and trailing vehicle connected together by a draw bar, a pair of cylinders -mounted lon gitudinally on each vehicle at opposite sides thereof, plungers in the cylinders, springs in the cylinders surrounding the plungers and acting on the plungers to resist their longitudinal movement, a pair of intermeshing racks, each mounted on the plungers of one of the vehicles, the mountings of the racks on the plungers being through the mediuml of horizontal transverse pivots so that IJthe racks may move about said horizontal transverse pivot, the racks being conveX to each other and being provided with flanges that overly the racks to limit relative vertical movement between the two racks;

the two racks lying 'directly over the draw bar and adapted to be supported thereby, a releasable U-bolt mounted on the draw bar and surrounding the two racks; and springs on the ends of the plungers and acting on the racks to support their weight.

9. A trailer guide device, adapted to be applied to a towing and a trailing vehicle, comprising a pair of curved gear racks one mounted on the towing vehicle and the other on the trailing vehicle and in mesh with each other, a draw bar pivotally attached to both the towing and trailing vehicles, said trailing vehicle having steering wheels and steering mechanism, and the draw bar being connected to and operating the steering mechanism of the trailing vehicle. s

In witness that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto subscribed my name this 4th day of December, 1922.

DAVID K. HUTcHINsoN. 

